Duration of First-line Treatment for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: Translating the Available Evidence into General Recommendations for Routine Practice

Over the last two decades the number of front-line regimens for metastatic colorectal cancer has progressively increased. Nevertheless, there is still no consensus on the optimal duration of treatment or the role of de-escalated/maintenance strategies after induction chemotherapy. In this article we provide an overview of the studies that addressed the duration of first-line systemic treatment with cytotoxic agents plus or minus targeted therapies highlighting caveats and limitations of the same. Also, we try to translate the available evidence into practical recommendations that can be used in everyday practice to inform treatment decisions. The main conclusion of our review article is that continuing induction treatment until progression may improve disease control but there is no evidence to suggest that adopting this practice can prolong survival. On the other hand, de-escalated treatment strategies offer an opportunity to reduce the burden of toxicity while maintaining satisfactory oncological outcomes.